First Angelus, first tweet

Around three hundred thousand people are reported to have packed into St. Peter's square and the surrounding streets to hear Pope Francis give his first Sunday Angelus prayer.

Earlier, the Pope said morning mass at St. Anne’s, the local parish church of residents of Vatican City. His sermon was about mercy, urging his audience not to be too quick to condemn others. The mass over, the congregation filed out, to find the newly elected pope standing outside to greet them. He kissed and hugged and patted children on the head, grinning and laughing, like an ordinary parish priest. In fact, if all parish priests were as accessible and affectionate, congregations might be larger. His minders were getting antsy: he still had to remove his liturgical vestments and get back to the Apostolic Palace for the noon Angelus. Was he going to greet every single parishioner? The people kept coming. Were they running round the back and coming out again for a second go? Finally they had all left. Just as his security men were beginning to relax, he decided to go walkabout among the crowd gathered outside St Anne’s Gate.

They eventually got him inside and up to the window of the papal apartments to give the Angelus. (He hasn’t moved into the rooms yet, although he has been shown round. He didn’t look thrilled as he walked the marble floors of those cavernous rooms. From what we know of him, his taste probably runs to something a bit cosier, or perhaps it was beginning to hit home to him that life would never be the same.) Again his theme was mercy, and he made his point very simply with an anecdote about an old widow. “God never tires of forgiving us, it is we who sometimes tire of asking for forgiveness.” He mentioned a book by Cardinal Kasper, but joked that he wasn’t trying to give him free publicity. Pope Benedict may have made a joke during the Angelus, but if he did, no one ever understood it. "Have a nice Sunday and enjoy your lunch," Pope Francis concluded.

As soon as the Angelus was over, the Pope sent out his first tweet: “Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me. Pope Francis.”

It was a moving sight to see Pope Francis greet the congregation and reaching out to the people. If there were 300,000 yesterday for the Angelus, there weren't kidding when they reported that a million people are expected for the inaugural mass tomorrow. I would want to experience this piece of history if I weren't too deterred by crowds.